Short update.After much searching, it seems as though I may have found a tai ji quan teacher who practices and teaches Chen style. Not only that, but he teaches the style of Chen that I learned in Tangshan, which is apparently called Laojia. (Never knew that before yesterday.)
It all came about with a search for various tai ji quan teachers in Ottawa. I emailed one man, and my enquiry led to an email to a friend/peer of his, which led to a more detailed request for what styles I knew or wanted to learn, which in turn led to two other teachers that he contacted. There's a secret tai ji quan network in Ottawa, of all places!
I'm waiting to hear back from the teacher who has a class downtown now. It's felt like a bit of an odyssey, but the distant shore of learning, so to speak, is now in sight. Knock on wood...
Now if I could only apply myself as diligently in my job-search, I'd be set.
8 comments:
Awesome, man! I hope it turns out! Now: persistence, persistence, persistence! Just keep going, even if youre new master doesn't turn as good as your master in China!
Sounds like a really good martial art. Enjoy it.
Pascal
*sniff* Grasshopper has come home!
Andy
I will! Still waiting on an email from the teacher himself.
Patrick, I got new toys on the weekend (not a Wii, but still good).
http://www.ringstaradvantage.com/purchase.cfm
I got the new Maxx shoes. I was complaining my back foot always seemed to slip out from behind me when I wanted to lunge in. I tested them out on Saturday. I have to say, they don't compensate for not being a black belt, but DAMN they work well. I had enough speed I was able to punch from about 2 feet farther out than normal.
Looking forward to sparring class on Tuesday *insert evil grin*
Andy
Nice digs, man!
Good luck with your "lunging" when you "spar". *wink wink* No seriously. You'll have to let me know how they work out!
Well, to see me really lunging when I spar, check out http://www.manonmanaction.net ....
Kidding. Honest. Just ignore the guy that looks like me.
Andy
... you just had to go there. lol
Had sparring class last night. Despite deciding I'm not going to go against one guy in the future, it went well. I was able to get a lot more traction, my punches were much better but I still need a lot of practice to get the best push-off without telegraphing it.
Even with the additional mobility, I still need to block :) One of our international competitors was my opponent the last time up. She started throwing a punch. I backed up well out of reach and waited for her arm to drop so I could counter-attack. She just leaned way forward and connected to my skull anyways. :) I guess that's one of the reasons why she's very, very good.
The bad thing is, I really need to work on my kicks. I can't slide as far on a step-up kick anymore because of the grip (it was great for cheating and getting an extra bit of distance), and I'm not good enough yet to get my foot up to kicking height without people reacting (blocking). In time, grasshopper, they will all fall. In time.
P.S. I've had about 5 people wander up to look at the shoes so far. I think I might start a trend.
Andy
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